I would be interested in any English translation of the original latin verses of this hymn, which scans rhymes and can be fit to the tune. Here is a version I have tried, any comments welcome. I found an unattributed set of English verses on the net, if anyone know where they are from I would be happy to know. I changed the 2nd and 3rd verses as they did not seem to me to capture the meaning of the original.
As I've read, Piae cantiones - it was a Protestant collection of chant. Was Gaudete approved for use in Catholic Church? I mean during Traditional Mass pre-Vatican II... The same I'd like to know about "Personent hodie" .
The songs were originally pre-reformation, but the collection (of songs sung at the Cathedral School of Åbo/Turku) was published after the reformation and had been edited to make them less Catholic. Since then they have been restored to their original form.
The boisterous style of those pieces makes them more suited for use before or after Mass, or in a concert. Songs such as "Gaudete" and "Personent hodie" qualify as "popular religious song", and as such are permitted, as specified in the 1958 Instruction "De musica sacra".
Much of the content of "Piae Cantiones" is medieval: i.e., pre-Protestant, and unobjectionable. Some pieces were subjected to Protestant-motivated editing in some versions of the book, while some later editions restored medieval texts that had been modified. You can read the texts yourself to verify whether there's any reason for concern. If the grammar looks mangled, I'll blame the Protestants. :-)
Here's a recording of the carol performed in a Geordie accent by the 70s group Steeleye Span. It suggests a lively mediaeval performance. I like the way the chorus is repeated with a female voice added; rather like adding a 4foot stop. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pe3e2qk9wQ I have a three part version somewhere; will have a look, if anyone is interested.
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